What is Acrolein? Acrolein, also known as Acraldehyde, Acrylaldehyde, or 2-Propenal, is a colorless to yellowish soluble liquid with an extremely pungent odor, similar to burnt fat or grease. It’s industrially manufactured from propylene and is used as an intermediate building block for other chemicals, such as acrylic acid, and in the production of acrylic plastics, paints and adhesives.

In the United States, Acrolein is a “tight-fill” (closed-loop) loading operation and is loaded into rail cars via chemical hoses or 3” stainless steel loading arms. Acrolein, if not handled properly can cause serious injuries, including death, and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is mandatory. Additionally, because operators are on top of the vehicles during the loading process, robust, well-designed fall prevention is essential to ensure increased throughput, without compromising operator safety.

Acrolein is typically shipped in 10,000 gallon DOT-103 insulated or non-insulated tank cars with safety valves.  The rails cars themselves are ~ 9′ outside diameter with an overall length of ~45’ to 50′, with a 6’ x 6’ center opening or off-set crash box openings.